Born Unto Darkness
by akina kumitami
Summary: A look into Yami's life while he's trapped inside the puzzle. When you are born into darkness, and it's the only life you've ever known, sometimes finding any hope can be hard. But where there is darkness, there is light.
1. Desperate Cries Fall on Deaf Ears

AN: Welcome to my first Yu-Gi-Oh fic for your reading pleasure! This began with the intention of being a one-shot. But one chapter would've ended up being waaaaay too long (it's already too long) so I split it into two. Second one will come soon. I want to get this and another story up before August when I start college and my life gets eaten by school again.

So basically, there are things that happen in the series that are often crazy and unexplained, and we usually just pass it off as being some strange Egyptian magic thingy. Well, I figured I'd try to explain some of those things by going through what maybe happen when Yami was in the box for 3,000 years (I've heard 5,000 and 3,000 so for the purpose of this story it gets to be 3,000).

I'll let you read up. Please note that Yami has no name (obviously) for the first part, so he is simply called 'he'. He becomes Yami later.

And it's supposed to be choppy sounding, just to sort of add to the effect of the whole story. AP English is a bitch, and it makes you think in weird ways when you're writing…

Alrighty, enjoy!

Disclaimer: Every time a fangirl has to admit she doesn't own the series, a puppy dies.

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_Lost in the darkness,  
Silence surrounds you.  
Once there was morning,  
Now endless night._

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It was dark. It hung about his body like a stifling blanket of smog, clearly visible and entirely tangible yet blinding and all at once void of existence. But that wasn't entirely true…if he moved, it seemed to move with him, clinging to his skin and crushing into him like water. For all he knew, that's exactly what it was: the deepest, darkest, loneliest part of the farthest sea.

Lonely…It didn't take long for him to pick up on that little aspect of his new existence. It was silent to the level of being deafening, and empty to the point of being completely smothering. And he felt no other presence in the void around him.

"Where am I…?"

The words came out, he thought. He felt his mouth form the syllables, felt his throat utter the noise, and felt his tongue sit heavy behind his teeth as if he had never used it before yet knew he knew what he had to do with it.

He took a step forward. It seemed to hold him back, yet push him forward with a propelling shove that sent him gliding rather than walking through the heavy sludge around him. He moved his arm in front of him, noting briefly that it was completely visible to him, even in this oppressing darkness. It left what felt like a wake behind it, stirring the nothing into a frenzy.

He quickly picked up another fact: this place was one giant oxymoron.

So how exactly did he get here? What was here? And if he was here, what did that make him?

"Who...What am I? Why is this…what is going on?"

He felt something strange then. It was a sense of authority, like he needed to know here and now what in the hell was going on or heads were going to roll. But he also knew that with no one else around, it was an entirely wasted emotion. It was so strange, yet entirely familiar…

Suddenly, the darkness was shifting, moving to form new things. He felt the oppression lift. Slightly. It was a constant reminder of his state of being, but it did allow for some freedom of sorts. What a nice oppressive darkness.

Gosh, how long had he been like this? It felt like forever, even though he suspected it may have only been a few minutes. Who knew how time passed in a void?

He still felt odd, like parts of him were scattered, like he was in the same place but not connected, and like parts of him were flat out missing. But at least there was a change in scenery coming.

Four walls. He saw—rather, felt—four walls. And a floor, and a ceiling. It was dark, yes, but it was a place just as tangible as the previous darkness without holding the same air of mystery.

Within the walls he could feel himself drifting between crevices and down little passages, like pieces of a puzzle thrown haphazardly into one place. He slid through them easily though, feeling the pieces of himself become one with these groves.

Then he noticed it, the thing that had brought him out of the darkness in the first place. It was someone's ka. He knew it had to be. There was an aura approaching. He was excited; could this approaching aura explain things to him, like who or what he was and what was going on with him? Maybe it could help! He could at least talk to it.

He left himself drift. He wasn't in the box of mazes anymore. This room was larger, just as dark and much danker. The walls were covered in depictions of battle scenes and messages. The ceiling was high, and the floor…well, it dropped off at some point. There was a bridge, and he was floating along a platform, but the remainder of the room was a large pitfall. It seemed odd, certainly, but his current focus was heavily centered upon the approaching force. It was only a few walls away…

Suddenly a door slid open across the room. A man stepped in, bathing the room in the light of a fiery torch. He was tanned, and an open-faced coat was draped over a half-naked body. His head was wrapped loosely with a turban, stained from dirt and sand and sweat. Words he muttered came out in a tongue so familiar, yet distant. Something in his mind said '_Egyptian. Your native tongue._' But he decided to ignore the voice…for now.

There was excitement racing a million circles round his mind. Here was life! He was about to connect with a life form! It was amazing, to say the least. There were so many things he wanted to ask, and so many things he knew the person might want to share.

The man began walking forward, muttering sweet nothings to himself and holding his torch high. From his place across the room next to the small gold box that he emerged from, he could easily watch the man. He was too busy being fascinated and excited to pick up on anything not quite right about the situation.

The man was finally across the narrow bridge of stone. The man, with dark circles around his sunken and bloodshot eyes, was only a few feet away from him.

"Hello, sir! I am so glad to see you!"

The man looked at the box. The expression on his face flickered with the torch light.

"Hello? Can you hear me?"

The man reached out and stroked the lid of the golden object before him.

He was confused. Could the man not see him? What was going on?

"Hello? Hello! Please, speak to me!"

He started to panic. The man was not looking his way, nor did the man ever let on that he was speaking. This could mean a few things, and hardly any of them seemed rational at that moment. The first thought to pass his mind was '_Do I even exist?_' That was enough to chill his blood, if he had any to be chilled.

But that was quickly replaced by another emotion. His senses detected something…not dark, but foreboding. Something sinister, malicious, and quite possibly evil. It smacked him in the face, one desire he managed to pick up on: '_Steal the treasure_.'

Forget the fact that he didn't even know what the treasure was, or what its purpose was. Although, he was about to find out. The first part of that question, at least.

Everything stopped in the crucial moment that followed. The man lifted the box. The man tucked the box beneath his sweaty armpit. The man was leaving with the box.

A few things passed through his now completely clear mind.

One: This man's eyes looked hungry. Greedy.

Two: This man's intentions are clear. This man is evil. This man is trying to steal this thing which is not his to take.

Three: This man must be stopped at once.

Four: …Shit.

"Stop!" He shouted. He voice didn't even echo. It just went on, not stopping for the man's ears. "Stop, please, stop!" He was desperate. The box could not leave the room. Not yet. He didn't have a clue as to why this nagged at him. But it did, and he would abide by that: there was nothing else right now to turn to.

"Please, sir! You have to stop! That's not yours to take!" He didn't know why he was pleading with the thief. The man would probably not have complied even if his voice could be heard.

He ran around the man, stopping in the middle of the stone bridge and turning. He was shaking. He was frantic.

"You can't take that! Put it back!"

The thief was smirking, obviously pleased with himself. The thief's eyes sparkled with the hunger for satisfying greed. And as the thief walked, the thief passed straight through him without even blinking.

He spun around, eyes wide with fear and breath coming out in short but quick rasps. He was lost. He was about to fail. And he didn't even know what he was failing at. He gave one last attempt, letting out a scream so wretched it was almost inhuman.

"STOOOOOOP!!"

The room shook then. The bridge began to groan. The man stood, looking around franticly. He wasn't sure if he should be afraid or relieved that the man stopped.

Just then something began to rise up from a slab of the bridge. He hadn't noticed before: the bridge was made up of sections fashioned into carvings of creatures. And one of those carvings was taking form before his eyes. And evidently the eyes of the thief as well, who began shrieking.

The creature was a ball of fuzz about the size of a well raised melon, and its eyes were the size of a fist. But it had teeth: sharp teeth, and a snarl that could make babies cry.

He stood by dumbly watching as the man dropped the box. It clattered as it made contact with the stone, but did not open and did not roll off the edge. It just sat there, watching with its large carved eye.

The small ball of fluff bit and gnawed at the thief. It latched onto the thief's leg, but the man kicked it off. The thief leaped around it and tried to make for the door. The man was stopped, however, by a new creature.

It towered high over the man, wearing deep purple robes and the pointed hat of one who may have practiced magic, wielding a staff of bronze about as tall as itself. It stood before the door with a glare so impassive but intense that it could freeze water and crumble stone.

"You will answer for your foul deeds, criminal." It spoke with conviction. The thief was frozen with fear.

The creature held out its hand, palm stretched out to be level with the thief's face. And with a cry of "Dark Magic!" the thief was gone. Well, physically gone. He stood before the magician-esque creature as afraid as before. But this time when he turned, he paled.

The thief's eyes locked with his own. The thief gasped. He remained emotionless. He was still shaking, his hands curled into tight fists, but his fear had transformed. It was now anger, deep flowing like the flooded Nile. Revenge, justice, punishment. That was all he cared about.

"You have the nerve to come into this place and defile sacred property?" He had no clue if it was indeed a sacred box, but it sounded appropriate and he was working on a whim. "May you suffer eternally."

Just then something stirred in the darkness below. It was neither alive nor dead, rather like the darkness itself was coming up from the depths. The thief blanched. The thief tried to run, but the two creatures stood in the way of the exit. The darkness reared above them all like a silent stalker.

He, though, stood calm as stone. All attention rested on him, as if his word would decide the ultimate fate of the whimpering thief's soul.

He chose the word.

"Perish."

The darkness crashed down with the force of an angry God's wrath. There was a ear-splitting roar, a blood-curdling scream, and a quick moment of nothing but darkness. Then it all melted away. The torch left by the man sat by the exit where the magician had eliminated the body. He looked at the creatures. The box still merely observed.

"You can speak?"

"I can, my pharaoh," replied the magician. The fur ball, now calm, wafted over to him and began caressing his head and cooing.

"What is this?"

"That is called Kuriboh."

As if responding to its name, Kuriboh let out a high "Kurriii!" and began to bounce around.

"Can you answer my questions?"

"I can do my best, my pharaoh."

His wall of diplomatic reserve crumbled. He had the feeling it wouldn't matter anyway. "What in the hell is going on? Who the hell am I? What the hell am I? Where the hell am I? What the hell are YOU?"

"All valid questions, my pharaoh, but I cannot answer all directly as you may wish." The magician floated to the place where Kuriboh and he already stood. It watched the box as it spoke.

"You exist because of this box. Inside are the pieces of a sacred relic called the Millennium Puzzle. Some of your ka, your sorcerer knowledge and abilities, is sealed in these pieces."

"Wait, _some_ of my ka?"

"Yes. The last of your ka, entirely human and void of any sort of sorcerer's power, is to be reincarnated. This chosen one will be the one able to retrieve the box from its resting place and assemble the puzzle inside. Only then, when your ka is reunited, will you be free to achieve your tasks."

"Wait, tasks? What are you talking about?"

"It will come in due time, my pharaoh."

"Why do you keep calling me 'pharaoh'?!"

"I cannot explain…"

He groaned loudly. This was doing nothing but opening the door for more questions that probably couldn't be answered either. He decided it might be best to try a new train of thought.

"This darkness…it clings to me like a lost child. And it is like it obeys me. Why is this so?"

"You are the darkness. It is the path you chose in your training. You have become one with it. Only reuniting with your ka will bring balance."

He looked down. The box was still watching. It seemed like it was mocking his misery, with its eye and carved gold surfaces.

He bent down to lift it. His fingers passed through, only adding to the mocking nature of the box. The magician bent down and picked it up with ease. He really was a spirit, it seemed.

"Kuriboh and I are two of your shadow servants. We will be helping to protect you and the puzzle from coming to any harm until the chosen one arrives."

"Shadow servants?"

"You are the shadows. We merely serve you. When you become familiar with your power, you will understand."

The magician set the box back on its pedestal across the bridge. As he walked towards it, the bridge carvings seemed to stir slightly.

"What is your name?"

"I am the Dark Magician."

"Well, I suppose I should have guessed that one."

"There are other shadow servants as well. We exist in these stone slabs which the bridge is built of. We come when summoned by you when danger is present."

"I am quite at a loss…"

"In due time, my pharaoh." The Dark Magician bowed. "We must go, our time here is shortened. There is not enough magic to support our ka for long. Be well." The form then slowly slipped into the nearest blank stone on the bridge path. The magician's image appeared. Kuriboh looked up, eyes full of regret.

"It's alright. You do what you must. Thank you for stopping the thief. I will never forget your noble actions."

Grinning (with its eyes, because its mouth was lost in the fur) and letting out one final happy squeal, Kuriboh bounced back to its respective place on the stone walkway.

He was left alone. Only this time was much more oppressive than his initial coming into existence. Before he was merely curios; now, he was utterly lost.

"Who am I?" He asked the empty walls. He had already gotten a vague idea of that answer, though.

He looked at his hands. For the first time, he noticed what it was he wore. There were gold bracelets on his wrists, upper arms, and legs. Bars of equal weight in the metal dangled from his ears. His short gown was a crisp, ghostly white with a heavy belt that held in place a strip of decorated royal purple cloth hanging down his front. Around his neck was a long cape of the same deep color. Resting on his forehead was a thick gold headdress, marking him as one with high status.

He removed the headband to examine it closer. It was heavy and cold in his hand. The center sported a fairly unfriendly looking eye similar to the one carved into the puzzle box.

'_Pharaoh..._' he thought bitterly as he inspected his crown. '_Whatever I was once, it doesn't matter now. Now I'm just a shadow…_' He looked down into the pool of black beneath him, searching for an appropriate name for himself given that he could not remember if he ever had one. To his surprise, it was not an Egyptian word that his mind picked. He actually wasn't sure what language it was at all. He could have just made it up.

'_Shadows…Darkness…Yami. I am Yami._' He slowly put the headband back on, brushing his bangs out of his face.

"I am Yami." He said it to the darkness, as if to prove that he could take control of his life if he wanted.

The darkness just laughed. Or, at least, that's what Yami thought.

He felt completely separated, as if he left parts of himself behind somewhere. It wasn't just that he knew half his ka was being born into some other place. He could feel his own presence in the room. It mostly came from the puzzle box. The fact that he couldn't pull himself together explained his inability to touch solid objects, but it depressed him to no end.

"I'll never be free of this, will I?" No one answered.

Dejected and hopeless, Yami slunk back into the puzzle box to wait out the return of this "chosen one." He was immersed in the realm of darkness from which he originated, where he curled into the fetal position and cried. His sobs were lost in the void.

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And so it went for three thousand long years that he spoke to virtually no one. Occasionally, he punished thieves who would try to take the puzzle from the chamber. He had no way of knowing if he was perhaps killing the chosen one. On one of the rare occasions that Dark Magician returned (it was the only one of his servants that would give him the time of day, besides Kuriboh, who didn't count because it couldn't speak) he asked it how he would know the chosen one, to which the magician responded, "You will know in your heart."

Yami didn't know if he even had a heart. That was probably in the puzzle someplace, too.

When he wasn't punishing thieves, he was just floating. He could only be outside the puzzle box for short periods of time. And he can't get too far from it. He learned those things the hard way. Once, he had decided he should try and just leave the room. The second time he got so tired of being lost inside the puzzle that he spent an hour trying to summon Kuriboh. Both times, his vision blurred, the room spun, and he was swept away by the darkness into the puzzle box. It was a feeling akin to passing out while being crushed by a tidal wave. He was then punished by the darkness by being trapped in the Shadow Realm for what felt like an eternity, left to freeze and suffocate. And because he was just a spirit, it couldn't really hurt him. But it sure felt like it could.

The Shadow Realm. Yami also learned of this place from the Dark Magician. Apparently it was the realm that he could "control." It seemed like more and more, it was the one controlling him.

Dark Magician said it would take time and practice for him to learn how to use his unknown powers.

Yami was too afraid of pissing off the shadows again to try anything.

Three thousand years he waited. Three thousand of the coldest, most lonesome years you could imagine.

Ask any teenager, and you will find that they will come to one consensus; no one wants to really be ignored. No one wants to be left alone and left involuntarily to a life non-existence. That thought would depress anyone in an instant.

Yami was completely ignored. And he didn't ever ask for this, he knew that. Who would want a life of complete solitude?

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_If I could reach you,  
I'd guide you and teach you  
To walk from the darkness  
Back into the light._

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AN: Song used is from "Jekyll and Hyde." Just so you know.

Okay, so please review. I wrote this with The Abridged Movie playing in the background…so writing it seriously was difficult. I hope it turned out alright.

Chapter 2 soon! Akina out!


	2. If I save you, can you save me, too?

A/N: Yami meets Grandpa Mutou! Sort of! I wrote this all from memory of the story Sugoroku told Yugi, so be patient if some of the details don't exactly match up…plus, it IS from Yami's point of view, so things will seem a tad different.

Disclaimer: I so almost forgot this last time. But I don't own any part of Yu-Gi-Oh! except the board game. And unfortunately, that doesn't count so much.

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_Deep in your silence,  
Please try to hear me;  
I'll keep you near me  
'Till night passes by._  
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It was a day—or night, he couldn't really tell—like any other. Because he never needed sleep, it only added to the extremely dreary condition he was in.

Yami was practicing his new daily routine. It involved gliding (walking on air was more like it), cleaning under his finger nails (which was useless because they never got dirty), leaving the box to throw his "crown" into the pit of darkness (it always reappeared in the Shadow Realm when he returned), and attempting to pick up objects (the effort usually made his vision spin, and he would slink back into the puzzle before the shadows tried to punish him).

Another thing he usually was able to work in to his routine was the punishment of a thief who would come about every hundred years or so. Many never made it to his chamber, which he suspected was due to traps in outer rooms. But with those who did, he took up the habit of playing little games to toy with them before he sent them to their souls to their death. He also got better commanding the monsters as time went on, and they grew to trust him as he trusted them.

There was one instance when a thief, before Yami could begin his "Shadow Game," turned and attacked Kuriboh with a swift roundhouse kick to the face. Yami skipped the game and summoned the shadows with so much fury that the thief was dead before he even left the ground. Since that, Yami had lost most of any compassion that may have existed, except toward his monster servants.

Back to the present. Yami was restarting his cycle of playing hide-and-go-seek with his "crown" when his ears began to hum. All his nerves went on alert at the approach of a new presence. Actually, multiple presences. He waited, calming any anxiety that had formed: the chosen one would not be among them, so why bother hoping?

That was when he began to sense something unexpected. Something was slightly off about one of the approaching auras that set it apart from previous thieves. It held no malice, just strong curiosity. While the two around it gave a feeling of dark and foreboding evil, the other was gentle, almost kind.

Maybe, just maybe…

One of the dark presences suddenly faded off. Yami felt the shadows rejoice. They had just received an appetizer to their meal.

The remaining presences came close enough that Yami could tell that they had passed the challenge. They would walk through the door next. He surfaced from the box to prepare to make his judgment.

But what walked through the door as it opened made Yami freeze in his place.

It was the most brilliant thing he had ever seen. The distinction between good and evil was clear. While the apparent thief had an aura that dimly glowed brown and grey, and the evil in his heart was very much tangible, it was nothing compared to the stunning array of colors around the second man. Blue, turquoise, yellow, and orange all fed the kindness and generosity that poured from him. But there was also a hint of worry and anger.

Yami crushed the butterflies in his stomach and shushed the stirring shadows. He had to wait and see what the men did.

The thief spoke the broken form of a new language Yami had not heard yet. However, he could translate what they were saying. He didn't dwell on this oddity and instead focused on the men's actions.

The kind and obviously foreign man (he was dressed in a grey pant and jacket ensemble, which Yami imagined must have made it quite difficult to travel through the surrounding desert) held a torch high above his head and frowned. The thief shouted at him to go first across the bridge. Yami found himself pitying the kind man. It seemed as if he'd have to be punished as well if he was going to attempt to take the box.

But then Yami saw it; a glimmer of cold black metal in the hand of the thief. He vaguely recalled another thief referring to it as a gun. He also recalled how it had been used to harm others.

"Wait, look out!" he found himself shouting. He forgot that he could not be heard by human ears.

The kind man continued walking, almost to the end of the bridge. The thief raised his gun from his point at the safe end and smirked.

The boom echoed off the barren stone walls almost endlessly. The kind man froze. As he turned to face the thief, Yami could see the pool of red begin to soak his jacket. The aura around him thinned. To Yami's horror, he tumbled sideways, barely clutching the edge of the stone walkway to prevent his plunge into the endless pit.

The thief began to hurry forward then, muttering something about it being safe and grinning wickedly as he passed the kind man.

Yami felt the kindness dying. He felt overwhelmed with sorrow. The malice only grew. His own breathing grew heavy and labored with every shaky inhalation of the kind man. He felt like his own heart had been shot. And that was when the anger took control.

"Mighty warrior! I summon you to vanquish this villain!"

In the last tablet, the carving began to spring to life. The thief froze in fear. A two-legged crocodile creature wielding a large sword came forth and swiftly cut his body in two, leaving a startled spirit behind. The thief looked around wildly before his eyes fell on the floating Yami.

"Wh-who? What?!"

Yami scowled. "How you could you harm such an innocent and kind man, your own fellow traveler? You disgust me! To think someone could be so cruel over such a silly thing as greed! May the shadows give you a long and agonizing trip to Hell!"

Yami watched with grim satisfaction as the shadows rose up from their pit, muffling the man's pitiful screams and carrying him into the abyss.

Once he was disposed of, Yami rushed to the place of the kind man. He could sense the man's spirit fading with his body's life force. But his heart was telling him that this man had to be saved. He could not die. He was the chosen one!

Yami quickly summoned his limited knowledge of the Gods of Egypt. Dark Magician had filled him in briefly, and if he was indeed the powerful "pharaoh" that the monsters believed him to be, then this ought to work.

'_Please, Ra, mighty God of the Sun and life, and all the mighty protectors of Egypt, I know this has never worked before, and I'm not sure you can hear me now, but his man is in danger. I will allow the shadows to punish me for another thousand years if that is what it takes, but please grant me the strength to save this innocent man._'

Yami closed his eyes and concentrated. Just enough…he needed just enough energy to grab this man and save him from falling.

For the first time, the ground beneath Yami felt solidified. He felt his mind become clearer, and his body felt definite. He opened his eyes and look down at the kind man. His eyes were fixed on Yami. They were hazy and unfocused, but it was clear: he could see Yami. Either he had already died and this was his spirit gazing back at him, or this was truly a miracle.

Yami kneeled down and stretched his hand toward the fading man. He smiled, softly speaking the first words that would reach human ears.

"Hello, I've been waiting for you."

The man looked him distantly, grabbing the offered hand before his body felt limp with exhaustion from supporting itself through its injury.

Yami hoisted the man back up onto the bridge and lied him down on his back, all the while marveling at the cold and clammy skin of the hand that still held some traces of warmth and life. He knelt beside the man and contemplated removing the hat that was being used to contain a mass of unruly and spiky dark hair. Eventually he decided that it was unnecessary and left the hat on. He rolled the man onto his side to examine the wound. The bleeding ha slowed slightly, but the hole looked deep and life threatening.

Dark Magician approached the teen and the man. "I sensed your distress, my pharaoh. What is it that troubles you?"

Yami looked up, his eyes giving away his desperation. "This man is dying of a gun wound. Is there anything we can do to help him?"

"There is one who can. It is a small creature whom some call the Happy Lover. It has the powers of healing that I do not. I can watch this man if you summon it."

And so Yami called forth a tiny winged puffball with a heart shape on its chest. As it used its healing power on the kind man, his breathing began to calm to a slower and steady pace, and his skin began to turn pink with the returning of his life force in an explosive show of hearts and glitter. When Dark Magician turned the man over, the wound beneath the blood-soaked jacket was nearly healed.

Yami sighed deeply. The kind man would live. His aura was already beginning to gain its strength back.

His vision began to spin. It had been too long. Dark Magician and the one known as Happy Lover looked to Yami expectantly.

"Thank you…both…you may go…and rest."

He felt himself break apart then, evaporating into the air. He knew the shadows would be furious and would probably punish him for a long while. But he somehow didn't care. He had done something good. For the first time in his existence, he had helped someone. And they had heard him and trusted him. That was enough for this boy.

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Sugoroku came too slowly. What had happened? That fool he was with had shot him in the back, and he had been about to fall off the bridge. Then there was a man…and Egyptian royal, it had looked like. The man had said something…oh yeah, it was, "Hello. I've been waiting for you." Then there was a hand. And Sugoroku took the hand, he thought…but that was the last thing he remembered. So, at this moment he was either dead or alive.

Without opening his eyes, he used his fingers to probe around him cautiously. Beneath him was solid stone. His head was pounding fiercely. He sat up slowly, groaning and clutching his head. If the room could stop spinning for just one second…

He carefully removed his jacket and gingerly felt for the wound on his back. His clothes were blood-soaked, but the bullet wound was nearly gone.

Sugoroku blinked. He had just been shot, and unless time had just gone in fast-forward by a few months, the wound should logically be still bleeding profusely. Why wasn't he bleeding profusely?

"Breathe, man. Just breathe…"

He had played enough mystical games in his life to know not to be too disturbed by anything paranormal. This place was obviously a very magically inclined and special place. For all the strange traps they had to get through to reach this room alone, he wouldn't be surprised if some unseen force had been here helping him.

But there was that monster that ate his guide, and then there was that strange boy. He certainly seemed kind enough. And didn't he say that he had been waiting?

Sugoroku rubbed his temple and stood. Too much thinking into this.

The object of his travels sat in a small box at the end of the room. Sugoroku eyed it warily. The legendary Millennium Puzzle was said to hold unimaginable powers. No doubt it would hurt him without a moments notice. The heavy presence in the room seemed to be emitting from that little object. Sugoroku chose to approach with caution.

As he drew nearer, he noticed something unexpected. The puzzle's presence was not malevolent or angry. No…it was…pained? And…lonely. And it seemed to beckon to him, as if it trusted him to take it.

"There's only one way to find out…"

Sugoroku lightly touched the lid with his index finger and waited.

"Well, I haven't been pummeled by fiery brimstone. That's good."

Sugoroku lifted the box. He felt the presence grow content. Yet, it was a little standoffish. Sort of like walking into a room and being happy to see you, but anticipating the moment they'll get to talk to the someone they really came to see.

Sugoroku had been in the game long enough to know fate when he sensed it. The puzzle was his, but not entirely.

"I don't know who or what you are in there, but you're safe with me now. I'll protect the puzzle until I have to hand it over to you're _real_ owner."

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_I will find the answer.  
I'll never desert you.  
I promise you this  
'Till the day that I die._

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A/N: I hope it turned out alright. I figured I'd stop here to keep it from dragging.

One more chapter is planned to go up!

I hate it when people are really really beggy for reviews and stuff, but they DO make us writers feel nice…so would you _please_ review for me? Even if your review just says like "Word." Or "This sucks." Or something.

…I'd prefer the "Word" one though. :D

Song used is the rest of "Lost in the Darkness" from Jekyll and Hyde.

A brief lesson on aura colors and why I chose the ones I did!

The site I used: Grandpa (He's so cool, he gets four colors! We'll ignore the fact that I'm not sure if your aura can be multicolored or not):

**Blue:** Balanced existence, sustaining life, eased nerve system, transmitting forces and energy. People with blue strong point in their Aura are relaxed, balanced and feel ready to live in a cave and survive. They are born survivors.  
**Turquoise:** indicates dynamic quality of being, highly energized personality, capable of projection, influencing other people. People with turquoise strong point in their Aura can do many things simultaneously and are good organizers.  
**Yellow:** joy, freedom, non-attachment, freeing or releasing vital forces. People who glow yellow are full of inner joy, very generous and not attached to anything. Yellow halo around the head: high spiritual development. A signature of a spiritual teacher.  
**Orange:** uplifting and absorbing. Inspiring. A sign of power. Ability and/or desire to control people.

**The Thief**

**Brown:** unsettling, distracting, materialistic, negating spirituality.  
**Gray:** dark thoughts, depressing thoughts, unclear intentions, presence of a dark side of personality.


	3. Hope in a Trail of Tears

A/N: I thought this would be the last chapter, but it looks like I'll be writing one more! Today, Yami gets handed over to Yugi. Well, it's half Yami's life, half Yugi's life.

Also, I apologize for the culture mixing I'm doing. I know I tend to use some Japanese elements and some American elements. But you know, bear with me. I'm only up to volume 14 in the manga, but I've seen the entire (craptastically) dubbed anime.

Disclaimer: Look, if I owned Yu-Gi-Oh, then the series would have ended differently. And 4Kids wouldn't have been allowed to dub it. But I don't own it. Oh well…

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_Without a soul  
My spirit's sleeping somewhere cold  
Until you find it there_

_And lead it back home_  
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Such a cold place. The darkness molded to him like a wet blanket, restricting his movements and making every breath difficult. The Shadow Realm had certainly grown over the last 3,000 years. The hostility must have evolved from all of the souls of thieves Yami had been feeding it. He should have figured as much…

As if responding to his unrest, the shadow's squeezed, increasing the discomfort that his soul couldn't escape.

But no matter what this place put him through, he somehow felt okay. No matter what the shadows did, he would be free one day. Hopefully one day soon.

Time had the effect of standing still in the Shadow Realm. Yami knew it wasn't, though. The presence of his protector sat in the back of his mind constantly, and it grew and shifted as the man aged and became wiser. It was Yami's only indication that things still moved forward around his prison. He just wasn't sure how many years had actually passed.

The shadows had not been pleased after his little episode with the kind man and the thief…it confined him to the darkness and scattered his broken spirit so thoroughly throughout the pieces of the puzzle that it was going to be a long while before he'd be able to go outside again. His only form of communication (the very little that he had with Dark Magician) had been effectively taken from him. The shadow's specialized in finding what meant most to you and then snatching it away. But that's why he made sure to keep the kind man's presence so close to him. It was like a soft drone in the backdrop of the stifling silence, and a constant reminder that there was a glimmer of hope for him after all.

Try as it might, the shadows couldn't take that away.

So time passed. The kind man put his adventuresome spirit to rest and settled down. But Yami could sense the playfulness in him that never seemed to die.

Other presences came and went. Around the time that the kind man settled down, Yami felt an influx of love and joy. Yami found himself happy for the man. A second warm and gentle aura joined that of the kind man, suggesting that that there had been marriage. Then an innocent presence joined them, as the marriage resulted in a child, and the love that Yami felt from the kind man only grew.

The longer Yami was exposed to this kind man's love for others, the more it began to eat away at the bitter shell formed around his heart. He imagined that one day he would be able to have his very own love one day. It seemed like a wonderful thing.

However, the shadows caught on to Yami's happiness. Who knows if they had any influence on the next event, but its satisfaction was clearly palpable. It made Yami sick.

There was a tragedy. A wave of grief spilled through the kind man into Yami's mind. It was a tragedy brought on by the death of a loved one. The warm and gentle presence was gone. The kind man had lost his wife. The sadness was almost unbearable. That something as wonderful as love could be equally heart wrenching seemed cruel.

Then again, Yami had seen his fair share of cruelty in the last 3,000 years to know that it was commonplace in this world.

He made a decision then that it would do no good to be compassionate if all it brought in the end was pain.

After his wife's death, the kind man started disappearing for long periods of time. Each time Yami felt his presence again, it was different. He was like a child who never knew what it wanted. Bringing back to life the adventurous part of him that had been packed away when he married must've been the only way the kind man could deal with his grief.

Yami couldn't help but feel slightly betrayed. Sure, the daughter remained nearby to keep him slightly at ease, but this man was supposed to be his protector. Protector's didn't leave their charges unattended. Anything could happen. What if the kind man never came back? What would happen to Yami?

With his hope fading each day, the shadows must have sensed there was no longer a threat of losing their captive. They eventually released their grip on him, though at first Yami hardly noticed. When he did, he decided to try and find the other parts of his spirit to pass the time.

Then one day the kind man returned and didn't leave again for a long time. It took Yami a while to figure out why. In his loneliness, he had never paid much attention to the girl. The innocent girl became a nurturing woman and found love. The new couple moved into the residence of the kind man, which helped to ease the man's own loneliness. Yami also found it comforting to have the additional presences.

The longer the kind man spent at home, the more Yami had strange impulses to play games. The man's childish side was coming to life again. But Yami continued to sense loneliness, like there was no one he could share his passion with. Yami felt a little guilty that he couldn't tell the man he enjoyed games, too. The man began to lose the jolliness that once made his presence so refreshing.

And then there was the newest aura of the husband. It was constantly in and out and always had a busy energy and feeling of disinterest about it. Yami often chose to ignore it. The man seemed very full of himself anyway.

Things remained in this state for quite some time. The kind man played games, the husband came and went, and the daughter took care of the men. Slowly, Yami collected himself. He hoped to one day have enough strength to take a peek at this strange family that he was left to.

But life was about to change. And it was taking Yami with it for the ride.

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There was nothing to do but walk. Infinite darkness surrounded him, but he chose to walk anyway. There was always that silly notion that there might be something to find, but it was easier to pretend those hopeful feelings didn't exist. And so he walked with no destination in mind.

He had almost gathered enough strength to look at the outside. He just didn't have enough willpower to find the rest at the moment.

"I guess you're satisfied?" he said out loud to the shadows. It didn't matter because they never responded, but Yami just wanted to use his voice to make sure he still had one.

"I'm getting absolutely no where. What, did you find the farthest corner of the Shadow Realm and stick me there?"

He looked around as he walked. He could see his own hands clearly, but everything around him was pitch blackness.

"I don't think that you could have picked a drearier place," he said offhandedly. "I mean, it is completely lacking in everything. No sounds, no colors, no light—"

Yami cut himself short. No sooner had he said the word 'light' that something suddenly sparked in front of him. It was tiny and very sudden, but it had been there. It was the first light he had ever seen in the Shadow Realm.

Yami stood frozen, all his senses on alert. The likelihood that it would appear again—if it had even been real—was slim, but he would be here to catch it if it did.

But it did appear again. It started as small sparks, sporadic and spaced far apart. Then it became steadier, growing to a flicker. The flicker became a soft glow, a star floating innocent and helpless in the abyss.

What was the most strange about the appearance of this light was the way it tugged at Yami's heart. It called to him. His feet brought him towards it without needing to be told, and he reached out to touch it like it was a bomb that would explode with the littlest bit of contact.

The shadows screamed. Clearly, they didn't like this new intruder.

Screw being careful. He had to protect the light. Yami reached out and snatched it just as the shadows tried to separate them. Yami felt it clambering at his hands as it tried to snuff out the nuisance. He just clutched it to his chest and waited.

Soon the shadows ceased their attack. They remained restless, however, slowing circling Yami and his possession. But the light grew stronger, and the shadows retreated slightly. It couldn't hurt the light, as much as it wanted to.

Yami just watched the light. It was the sweetest thing he'd ever felt, like he had finally found some order in his chaotic heart. It was so innocent, kind, and forgiving.

But soon it began to fade. Yami clutched at it frantically.

"Wait, don't go!"

The light shifted slightly, but continued fading. But it wasn't dying. It just knew it couldn't stay; this wasn't the place for it.

Just as it disappeared, it left him something. It remained like a warm residue on his hands.

The shadows rejoiced when the light disappeared.

Yami stared at his hands. Was that real?

Yes, his heart knew it. That little bit of light left behind one thing: reassurance. It would be back for him.

Not long after, a fourth aura joined the kind man, his daughter, and son-in-law's. No mistake, it had the same resonating innocence as the light that found him in the shadows.

The final stretch of his broken soul had begun.

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_7 years later…_

"Happy Birthday, Yugi!" Sugoroku exclaimed, looking up from his newspaper as a tiny boy skipped into the kitchen. The boy was grinning widely.

"Thanks, Grandpa!" Yugi piped as he climbed into a seat at the kitchen table.

"You turn…six today, am I right?"

Yugi giggled. "No, Grandpa! I'm SEVEN today, silly!"

Sugoroku smacked his palm to his forehead in mock embarrassment. "Oh my goodness, you're right! I must've forgotten!"

Yugi giggled again. His laughter had a sweet sing-song quality to it that had the ability to brighten anyone's day. Sugoroku smiled and went back to his paper.

A woman set a plate down on the table in front of the boy. "Yugi, I made you some special birthday pancakes for breakfast." She ruffled his fluffy hair and smiled.

"Thank you, Mom!" He quickly muttered his grace and set to work happily eating the pancakes.

"Be quick, though. You don't want to be late for school."

"Aw, do I have to go?"

"Yugi, we had this discussion yesterday. You aren't missing school just because it's your birthday."

"Pleeeeeease?"

"No, and that's that. Now eat your food. If you don't get going soon, you'll be late."

Yugi pouted, shuffling his pancakes around the plate with his fork. Sugoroku glanced up, observing the boy for a moment.

"Hey, my boy, I'll make you a deal. If you go to school, I'll have a special secret present waiting for you when you get home."

Yugi looked at him skeptically. "What kind of special present?"

The old man leaned over the table, motioning for Yugi to do the same. As the little boy leaned in, Sugoroku whispered behind his hand.

"Well, it's a very special game all the way from Egypt…"

Yugi gasped. "A game from Egypt? Really?"

"Shh! Yes, but I can't tell you any more unless you go to school."

Sugoroku leaned back. He could tell that the wheels in the boy's brain were turning, but the kid was just like him. He wouldn't pass up a new game for anything.

Stuffing the last bit of pancake into his mouth, Yugi took off up the stairs to his room. The next thing they knew, he was running out the door with his backpack.

"Bye Mom! By Grandpa! See you later!" The last thing they heard was the door slamming behind him.

Sugoroku turned and grinned at his daughter. "I've still got it."

She chuckled as she prepared breakfast for the two of them. "Yeah, Dad. We're lucky he likes you so much, or he would just hole himself up in his room and never do anything but play games all day."

"I suppose I would too if I didn't have any friends to play with."

"Maybe he'd have more friends if you didn't encourage him to surround himself with games all the time. That reminds me," she groaned, "one of Yugi's teachers wants to have a meeting later...ugh."

"Oh, that sounds like fun. Will you're husband be home in time for that, or was his business trip extended _again_?"

"He managed to catch a flight before that big storm moved in to Boston. He should be home by dinner."

"Well, good. At least he'll get to see his son on his birthday."

"Gee, don't sound so enthusiastic."

Sugoroku huffed. "Well, Kyoko, he's always gone when something important comes up in Yugi's life. I was sure this wouldn't be much different."

She set their plates down before taking the seat next to her father. "He can't help it. It's his job."

Sugoroku grunted. Kyoko sighed, knowing that arguing with her father's stubbornness was pointless. She glanced at the clock, taking a bite of her breakfast.

"Let's see. I have to finish wrapping Yugi's gifts, and then I have to go to that meeting with the teacher. Oh, and I need to make his cake, too…"

Sugoroku patted her hand. "You just finish your breakfast. Don't work yourself into a worry just yet. I'll get started on the presents and you can start the cake. Then I can decorate it while you're gone at the meeting."

Kyoko smiled. "Thanks, Dad. That'd be wonderful."

"It's nothing. I have plenty of time before the shop opens." He glanced through the hall to the door that lead to his game store, the Kame Game Shop, which also acted as the family's front door. Yugi had apparently left the light on when he left.

Kyoko stood, clearing the now empty plates to the sink. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

Sogoroku glanced over his shoulder. "You'd all be lost. By the way, Yugi left his lunch on the counter."

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"DAD!"

Sugoroku winced. The meeting with the teacher had apparently not gone well.

Kyoko walked up to the desk of the game shop, glaring at her father.

"Dad, the teacher wanted to tell me that she caught Yugi not paying attention again. And guess why?"

Sugoroku shrugged. "He was tired?"

"No! He was trying to solve another one of those puzzles you gave him!" She tossed the confiscated puzzle book onto the space between them.

"Just because he brought my puzzle to school doesn't mean you need to yell at _me_ about it."

Kyoko rubbed her temples. "I know Dad…but nothing I say will get through to Yugi. I need you to talk to him. At least explain that if he brings the games to school he can't play them WHILE the teacher is teaching. You're the only one he seems to listen to."

"I'll see what I can do."

Just as Kyoko was about to go through the back door into the house, the door to the shop swung open.

The young woman gasped as she ran over to the person in the door.

"My God, Yugi, what happened to you?!"

Yugi looked like a mess. His clothes were torn in places and muddy in others. His left eye was bruised and beginning to swell, and his lip was badly cut. A few other cuts adorned his face and hands. He stood there solemnly as his mother exclaimed and checked him for any other injuries.

"I'm fine, Mom…"

"No, honey, you're not! Now what happened to you?"

"I fell in a puddle on the way home. I hit the sidewalk really hard."

"Are you telling me the truth? Because if this is the work of that Katsuya character again I'm going to—"

"Mom, I promise it wasn't Jonouchi. I just fell."

Kyoko was skeptical, but hugged Yugi tightly regardless. "Oh honey, I'm so sorry this happened on your birthday! Let's go get you cleaned up."

After the two left the room, Sugoroku glanced at the box he kept beneath the countertop. The container of the Millennium Puzzle was practically shaking with energy.

Sugoroku lifted the box and sighed. It was time.

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Sugoroku knocked lightly on the bedroom door. He paused as he heard the sounds of shuffling and things being tucked away.

"Who is it?"

"It's me."

The door slowly opened, revealing a very small and tired-looking boy. His eye was still swollen, but his clothes had been changed and he had bandages on his cuts. It always pained the old man to see his grandson after he had been obviously beat up at school; not only did the boy lie and brush it off like nothing, but he probably never fought back. Sugoroku would never say it out loud, but the poor kid was virtually spineless. It must have come from his father's side of the family, because that was definitely not a Mutou characteristic.

"I just wanted to give you that special present I told you about. You did go to school, after all, and I'm a man of my word."

Yugi seemed to brighten at the prospect of the new game and sat down expectantly on his bed. Sugoroku seated himself beside the boy and handed him the golden box.

"This is a very complicated puzzle, Yugi, and I know that you are very good with puzzles. It came all the way from Egypt, where I found it on an expedition. It's probably thousands of years old!"

"Wooow! Really?!" Yugi ogled the box, mystified. His fingers traced the Wadjet Eye lightly.

"Yes, really. And There's another thing! If you solve it, it will grant you anything you wish."

Yugi stared at his grandfather. "_Anything_ I want?"

"Your heart's deepest desire."

The boy grinned, looking back at the box in his lap. "Did you ever solve it?"

Sugoroku laughed. "No, I couldn't. It didn't like me too much."

That wasn't entirely false. Sugoroku had opened it once to take a look, but when he had reached down to touch the pieces, they seemed to shrink away from him, warning him not to try and solve it.

The old man watched carefully as his grandson slowly slid back the lid. The child stared at the pieces for a moment, thinking. Then he reached in and pulled them out one at a time, examining each one and lining them up on the bed between him and his grandfather.

Sugoroku smiled. The day Yugi was born, the puzzle had just about spontaneously combusted from the spiritual energy it emitted. In addition, whenever Yugi entered the game shop, the boy's eyes always drifted to the spot beneath the counter where Sugoroku hid the puzzle, as if he could feel it as well. The two were meant for each other, Sugoroku knew that, but he was hesitant to hand the item over until he was sure the boy was ready. He knew what power the puzzle supposedly held, and the solver would need to have the necessary ability to handle the challenge he would be faced with upon its completion.

Sometimes Sugoroku wondered if his grandson was really the right person; after all, he lacked in the social- and book-smart departments. But he had been giving the boy puzzles of immense difficulty, constantly testing his skill, readying him for this day. And Yugi had been able to solve them all. It helped that he shared his grandfather's passion for games. The rest would come in time.

Yugi may be humble, but he was also incredibly determined. A distinctly Mutou trait.

"I'll let you get to work."

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If Yami had the ability to cry, he would do so right now. He felt the presence of that young boy so clearly he thought he would be able to reach out and touch it. It was so innocent and pure. But it was so sad, and in so much pain.

This was the strongest aura that Yami had ever come across. He felt as though he were one with the boy's feelings. He could sense everything, most strongly the more immediate feelings of the boy's curiosity and determination, and even the deep hidden pain that he kept locked away, even it seems from himself.

'_Wow, a puzzle! Made of solid gold!_'

"WAAAH!"

Yami nearly fell over in shock, bringing his arms protectively over his head. What was that voice?

He blinked. Could it be…was this…the boy's actual _thoughts_?

Yami drifted through the darkness. "I want to see him! Let me see him, just for a moment!"

The shadows shifted a little, but it must have sensed that it was losing its hold anyway, because at that moment, a thick wooden door with the Wadjet Eye carved into it appeared before him. Yami reached out, slowly twisting the handle, pulling the door open to reveal…

A room? It was dark, and cold, like a tomb almost. But not nearly as much as the Shadow Realm. The he remembered: he had seen this room a few times before. It was the puzzle! He had made it to a piece of the puzzle! The only problem was that he couldn't get to any other part of the puzzle. He was confined to this room.

Unless, with luck, he'd be able to gather the energy necessary to take a peak at the outside.

Yami closed his eyes and concentrated. He had the power. He just needed to concentrate enough of it at once. Just enough to…

He opened his eyes. There, sitting before him cross-legged on a soft blue surface, was a very small boy. A very small boy with spiked black hair that was tipped with red and violet eyes that were as large and wondering as Yami imagined the night sky might look like. His small round face was resting in his hands, and he was gazing thoughtfully at the pieces of the Millennium Puzzle spread neatly across the surface in front of him.

Though he had never outright seen himself, Yami imagined that this little boy may look a lot like himself.

Speaking of his looks…Yami glanced down. He was quite transparent, and only half of him was there, but it was better than nothing.

Hey if he could hear the boy, then could the boy possibly hear him?

"Hello?"

…Okay, so maybe not.

The boy's voice filled his ears again, but his mouth did not move, confirming that Yami was able to hear his thoughts as clearly as if he were speaking them aloud.

'_I don't know why it doesn't like Grandpa. I mean, he's a lot better at puzzles that I am! Please like me, puzzle! I'll do my best!_'

It had been a while since he felt like he was actually talking to someone, so he deiced to talk back for the fun of it.

"It's not the kind man's, and therefore not his to solve. You'll solve it just fine. You are the Chosen One, after all…why shouldn't I like you?"

'_Gosh, what a scary eye. I feel like it's staring at me…_'

"Hey, I resent that! The puzzle is not scary, thank you. And it's probably staring at you because you insulted it."

'_I can_ _get any wish I want if I solve this? That's so cool!_'

"Yeah…um…it is a cold piece of metal, I suppose…"

'_I know what to wish for, too! I'll wish for a true friend!_'

Yami paused. "What do you mean, 'true friend'?"

The boy's eyes became sad. Yami could feel the pain coming to surface. '_Kids at school pick on me a lot…they think my games are dumb. I know I'm not like them…and my teachers don't seem to like me much, either…I guess I'm just a disappoint to them all, like I am to Dad…_'

Yami was at a loss. He just sat back, feeling the loneliness and despair that filled the boy.

'_I'm not good at anything. School stinks, and I can't play sports, and I'm shorter than everyone else. I just play board games and puzzles and stuff, but none of the other kids have time for those. That's okay though, because they should get to do what they like, too. If I were better at other things, maybe then they'd talk to me…_'

"But you deserve to do what you like also without being punished for it! That isn't fair to you!"

'_There is one girl. Her name's Anzu. She stayed behind at recess to play a game with me today. I lent her my gameboy. That's kinda why I got beat up today._'

"That's absurd! They beat you up because that girl talked to you?"

'_But Jonouchi said that I needed to be tougher, because boys should be brave and not afraid to fight. I hate fighting and stuff. He's really just trying to help me be a better boy!_'

"He's not _helping_ you! He's just pushing you around to make _himself_ feel better!"

'_Dad thinks my games are stupid, too. I can't talk to him about things; he just teases me, too. Maybe if I get tougher, my dad will like me more…_'

"Your father probably doesn't hate you as much as you think." How could anyone dislike a boy this innocent?

'_Mom_ _doesn't tease me, but I think she thinks my games are silly. She cheers me up with ice cream! But I can't talk to her about boy stuff. Grandpa makes me feel better, too, and he owns his own game shop! We play games all the time, and he gives me new ones to try. But he's old, so I can't talk to him about kid stuff!_'

"Your grandfather is a kind man. But I suppose it has been quite a while since I last saw him, so he probably has gotten older."

'_Ha ha, I don't know why I'm telling this all to you, Puzzle!_' Just like that, Yami felt all the pain get buried again beneath fresh hope and determination. '_That's what I'm going to wish for though! When I solve you, I'm going to wish for true friends that I can play with and I'll like them and they'll like me back and we'll talk about anything we want and always help each other out because we'll be best friends!_'

Yami stared at the small boy, now grinning and holding in his hands the piece of the puzzle that sported the Wadjet Eye. How such a person could wield such strong emotions of hope and determination, even as he hosts hidden feelings of pain from being been beat down so many times, was completely beyond the young spirit.

Dark Magician had once mentioned that the human part of his ka had been reborn as the Chosen One. Yami didn't know what made up human ka. However, experience told him that the human will was weak, easily broken and corrupted.

This boy was small, but he seemed strong. If they were made up of the same ka, perhaps he was stronger than the average human? It was still too early to tell.

"Yugi Mutou, if you don't get down here soon, I might have to open all of these birthday presents myself!"

The boy scoped golden piece carefully back into the box and set it on his desk. "Coming, Mom!" he cried, bounding out of the room.

Yami returned to his puzzle room. He was still plagued by feelings of the boy's helplessness. It angered him.

This Yugi…until the day he could find strength of his own, Yami swore to protect him. As soon as he was released from the puzzle, he would help avenge this boy his misery.

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_When all you got to keep is strong  
Move along, move along like I know you do  
And even when your hope is gone  
Move along, move along just to make it through_  
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A/N: I know, it was really long…and I'm sorry it got kind of dry in the middle. But isn't seven year old Yugi the biggest sweetheart ever? I just want to hug him and wish all his pain away.

Opening Lines – "Bring Me to Life" by Evanescence

Closing Lines – "Move Along" by The All-American Rejects

I couldn't decide which lyrics I wanted to close with, but then I figured, this is what I imagine Yugi lives by, and what Yami needs to find out (as a spirit, he doesn't get many choices in the puzzle). Plus, I try to live by it, too. It's a good philosophy. Even when your hope is gone, you gotta keep moving forward.

It's a good thing I've been watching my hits counter; otherwise I'd think that no one even read this thing. I actually do kinda like reviews…it's okay if you think the story sucks.

New Story Alert: When this is over, a YGO humor fic will be on its way…and it'll be based on real events that yours truly went through this summer. So you'll get to see maybe some better writing out of me.


	4. Focused on Nothing, Acting on Something

A/N: I had missed writing in my usual quirky humor form. So, this chapter has a little less angst and a little more fun. I figured, since Yugi's older, it'd be appropriate. I like letting my writing style evolve with the characters.

Shouting out to:  
**Xuwum**, **Isis the Sphinx**, **Tragedyluver**, **Protector Of The Nameless**, and my good pal **Rem-sama**! Thanks for all your encouragement and for making me not feel like a total sucktastic loser.

Disclaimer: I own Yu-Gi-Oh!  
Haha you guys should've seen the looks on your faces! I wish I had a camera! I mean, I hardly own my car let alone an entire anime series. Therefore, Yu-Gi-Oh! is very much not mine.

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_I'm just a kid  
__And life is a nightmare_  
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"Yugi! Anzu is here for you."

"Oh! Uh, thanks Grandpa. Tell her I'll be right down!" Yugi began haphazardly stuffing the pieces of the Millennium Puzzle back into their container. He usually had okay days, where maybe a piece or two fit, or difficult days where the shiny gold metal mocked him and his inability to solve it. Today was, unfortunately, a very difficult day. A break was needed to reorganize himself and try again later.

Anzu, per usual, was early to pick him up. He honestly didn't know why he didn't expect this sooner and be ready for once. It was easier to pretend that she might be a normal human and arrive on time. Or maybe even late.

'_Stupid entrance exams…_' he mentally complained as he began stuffing his backpack. '_I can't believe how hard the teachers are pushing these things. I mean, they're still a month away._'

Yugi topped off his plain white tee and jean ensemble with a fleece vest and threw his bag over his shoulder, racing down the stairs and into the game shop. There he found his Grandpa sitting on his stool behind the counter reading the newspaper, and his friend Anzu Mazaki gazing over the latest batch of imported chess pieces: this time, his grandfather had ordered them from Mexico. The pieces were supposed to be made to look like Aztecs.

"Hey, Yugi!" She greeted with a smile as she saw him approach. "You ready to head to the library?"

"Yeah, sorry for the wait. I was just pulling my stuff together…" Yugi suddenly trailed off, feeling a tugging in his chest. He was missing something…why did he suddenly feel all agitated and pouty?

"Sorry Anzu, I'll be right back. I forgot something in my room."

Back upstairs, Yugi stared at the golden box on his desk. He was having a staring contest against the mysterious and often creepy looking Wadjet Eye, which he lost easily.

Was the puzzle asking him to take it?

'_Nah._ _It's probably my tired brain playing tricks on me,_' He thought. He contemplated the box.

The box contemplated him.

Finally, he shook his head and scooped the puzzle into his bag.

Meanwhile, Yami sat back in his puzzle room, triumphant. His mental agitation of being left behind had apparently worked. He knew by the boy's annoyed feelings and quiet thoughts that he and the girl Anzu were headed to a place called the "Library" to study for a special exam. Apparently, this exam held jurisdiction of the location of Yugi's future schooling, and was therefore very important.

Yami also knew from other visits paid by this Anzu person, no matter what the purpose, that Yugi was always left with drifting thoughts that were semi-romantic and sometimes…_personal_. But Yami would hear them all clearly whenever Yugi returned to his room to muse. The way he took to the girl was cute in an innocent, 'You're my really nice really cute best friend' sort of way.

It was also interesting to hear Yugi's often confused thoughts on the subject. After all, if this girl were his only friend, he wouldn't want to scare her away by coming on too strongly. Then again, as his friend, he would want to do anything to make her happy regardless.

That's why Yami would not let a chance to be near his other half during an infamous Anzu Trip slip by. Not only would he get to learn a little more about Yugi, but it would provide him with a bit of amusement.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Anzu, you're cruel."

"Aw, Yugi, you don't mean that!"

Yugi pouted, making Anzu laugh. "Oh come on, at least we got our work done!"

"Yeah, I think my brain might explode from all the material we covered. And then, to top it off, you had me write that report for English."

"It had to be done anyway."

"It isn't even _due_ until next _Friday_! In _two weeks_!"

Anzu smirked. "It just leaves you with more time to study then!"

Yugi sighed. This was going to be the longest month of his life.

'_But…at least Anzu is going to be helping me through it._'

As they continued to walk, Anzu began ranting on about her plans for a study schedule they could follow up to their entrance exam date. Yugi would occasionally nod or mutter an agreement, but let his thoughts wander off to the puzzle sitting in his bag.

Yami glanced up. He knew the importance of strengthening your mind, and no matter how boring the trip had been studying should really take priority.

'_Anzu seems really focused on this stuff. Oh well, I'll study_ _later. Now I wonder, I hadn't tried that one piece on the diagonal portion of the inside yet—_'

"Stop dwelling on the puzzle and focus your priorities. It'll be here tomorrow, where as studying might not." Yami waved his arms in the air for emphasis.

Yugi blinked, his mind suddenly snapping its attention back to Anzu's "Plan of Attack." There had been a distinct internal poke. His conscience must have caught on to him.

"Well, here's my house."

Yugi blinked again. They were at Anzu's already? Boy, he really _did_ zone out for a while.

"Oh, well have a nice night, Anzu! I'll see you tomorrow!"

"Yup!" Anzu waved, pushing her door open. "Bye, have a safe walk home!"

Yugi continued down the road, subconsciously avoiding the alleys in the dusky light. It came from the experience of years of encounters. Besides, one could never be too careful, even if he was a guy (making the possibility of rape a little less likely). Muggers were always possible, and he would have to pass the school en route home, where there was always a bully or two waiting in the wings.

Yami caught the subconscious kick in, but brushed it off. Naturally, the mind would always be working in ways you might be unaware of. He instead decided to focus on the rogue thoughts plaguing the more active portion of his twin's mind.

'_I wonder if I should tell Anzu about the puzzle. It would probably explain why I can't focus so much on studying._'

"Hey!" Yami shouted a bit indignantly. "I don't like that you are going to blame your lack of focus on me!"

'_Well, no, I won't for now. I don't want her thinking it's stupid and ignoring me…or picking on me. She's a good friend, though. She sticks up for me when other kids tease me, so it'd probably be okay to tell her._'

Yami rubbed his head. "She does seem like a strong person with a lot of care. You two are the exact same, really…she just seems to have more guts…and is more straightforward and vocal about it…ok, I'll rephrase that. Your hearts are the exact same."

'_Still, I don't want her thinking it'll be too distracting and trying to make me stop working on it or something. I'll keep it a secret a little longer—_'

"Why, if it isn't the runt Mutou!"

Yugi stopped his thoughts short. Two boys that he recognized as classmates had cut off his path.

Yami caught the change in demeanor of the small gamer. He sensed the boy become more on edge, and his thoughts went silent as more of his energy focused on the task at hand.

He also sensed the source of the built up tension: two new auras.

"What're you doing out so late?" one of the bys taunted. "You've even got your backpack with you!"

"Just studying for the entrance exams," Yugi replied politely. So far, the conversation seemed to be going well…

"Hey, you like games, right?"

Yugi perked. Someone actually wanted to play a game with him? This was great! He didn't notice the malicious smirk that graced the lips of the first boy, or the way the second seemed to maneuver behind him.

Yami shifted, worried. He apparently sensed the malice sooner than his other had, and since the spirit couldn't provide much in terms of protection, that meant the boy was virtually on his own.

"Yeah, I do."

"Well, my pal and I want to play a game with you."

"Sure. Like what?"

"It's a little something I like to call Keep Away."

"Hey, give that back!"

The second boy had snatched Yugi's bag off of his shoulder and held it high above his head, cackling with amusement as the much shorter boy hopped up and down to try and retrieve it.

"But I'm having so much fun, Runt! Aren't you enjoying our game?"

He tossed the bag to the second boy, who nearly dropped it as the weight of the items inside shifted.

"Please be careful," Yugi protested. "I have something really important to me in there!"

The first boy laughed, tossing the bag high though the air back to the second boy. "Oh, like books are _soooo_ important!"

"No, not those." Yugi followed the path of the bag with his eyes as he tried to snatch it back and plead his case to the bullies. "It's something I—"

"Hey," the second boy called to his partner, "he doesn't seem to like this game. Maybe we should play a different one."

The first boy pretended to look thoughtful. "Yeah I guess you're right."

The bag flew through the air again, Yugi making another fruitless attempt to snatch it. "Please stop, my treasure is in—"

Just as the first boy caught the bag, Yugi was blindsided as a swinging leg met his gut. He fell to his knees and doubled over, clutching his sides and gasping painfully for air to refill his lungs. He vaguely registered the two attackers laughing.

"This game is called Hide-and-Go-Seek! We hide your stuff, and you gotta seek it out! Ha, get it?"

'_No…the puzzle…_'

Yugi groaned, trying to look up at the other boys, but a shoe roughly met the back of his head and pushed his face into the pavement.

"Peeking wouldn't be fair." The foot increased its pressure on his skull, but was buffered his hair. This was the first time Yugi was ever grateful for his naturally and obnoxiously fluffy locks.

There was a _woosh_ as something flew away from them.

'_The puzzle…My treasure… I need it to grant my wish…_'

Yugi blinked back tears of pain as his sore stomach dug into his knee and his cheek scraped the rough cement of the sidewalk.

'_I can't get stronger…but I hate fighting…But I'll never get stronger if I don't…_'

Then, the pressure was gone. He remained on the ground a moment longer, the standard play dead technique, trying to regain his bearings. Footsteps and fading laughter signaled that the bullies were finally leaving.

When Yugi finally looked up, his bag was no where in sight.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Yami was panicked. He had been able to feel his other's presence a moment ago. It was like a soothing blanket. But he had felt the other presences as well: two auras of malice and torment.

That's why, when he felt the pain that spilled over from the boy and into his room, settling like a rock in his gut, he knew something had gone wrong.

But then, the pain faded to nothing. As did the three auras. The last thing Yami heard were a portion of the puzzle keeper's thoughts.

'_The puzzle…My treasure… I need it to…_'

But then, that faded as well. And Yami was left in a cold, deafeningly silent room.

Just like before.

Yami thought quickly. He must have been thrown. How strong were the arms of teenagers? He didn't have enough practice chucking things around to know for himself.

He can't have gone far. The boy must be near by. But if he's still being beat up, then he wouldn't notice if Yami's energy reached out to him. He would obviously be too preoccupied.

However, it would use up too much of Yami's sparse energy to actually leave the puzzle to look. Plus, so far he had been good enough to keep out of the Shadow Realm's hair. He didn't have any intention of returning, not when the boy was coming closer to setting him free…

This would have to do.

Yami summoned as much of his spirit energy as he could and pushed it out around him. If he could find that aura—or if that aura could find him—he could at least try to lead it back to him.

"Yugi. You can do it. Just follow your heart."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Yugi rubbed his cheek, looking around hopelessly. The school building seemed to loom over him, daring him to approach it.

"It could be anywhere. Where could they have thrown it?"

Sighing in resignation, he walked through the (thankfully) still open gate of the school into the court yard.

"I'll never find it standing around. The puzzle has got to be here somewhere—"

'_Over here_.'

"Sweet Kami!"

Yugi spun on his heels, clutching his chest. Someone spoke. There was someone or something that was speaking to him. And he was alone on the school grounds.

'_This way_.'

Yugi blinked. "Uh…wha…?"

That was not a person's voice…er…it didn't seem like it, at least. It was softer, more of a whisper inside his head than a vocalized phrase. And he felt that tugging at his heart again, like it knew where his puzzle was.

Wait…

'_This way_.'

Yugi walked on instinct. It was like he didn't even need to tell his feet where to go. They just took him there.

'_Closer…_'

Yugi stopped. He was at the swimming pool. His bag was floating in the middle, slowly sinking from the weight it carried.

He decided not to press the issue as to why he could hear a voice in his head telling him where the puzzle was. That could mean he's crazy, and that could lead to therapy that he didn't want his parents to worry over.

He instead contemplated the location of the bag

"How the hell did they get the bag all the way into the pool?"

Yugi eyed the item suspiciously. Then, with a frustrated grunt, he kicked off his shoes and socks.

'_Please let no one be watching right now…_'

He dove head first into the chilly water. The chlorine stung at his eyes as he opened them, hoping to catch a glimpse of the item in question. Then catching a glimpse of one of the straps floating carelessly below him, he grabbed the backpack and hauled it to the surface. He tossed it onto the ledge of the pool and lifted himself to sit beside it, his feet dangling in the water.

"Time for damage control…"

Inside was a mess. His books and papers were soaked, and his English paper lay in a crumpled soggy heap near the front. The only seemingly unharmed thing in the entire bag was the puzzle box. It instead glistened with residual water drops, catching the fading sunlight in an almost wink.

Yugi sighed heavily, removing the box from the sopping wet contents of his backpack. "I hope you're worth all the trouble you're putting me through."

Yami sat back in the now warm puzzle room, grateful for the return of that kind and open presence. He chuckled in half exhaustion, half relief.

"You have no idea, Little One."

Slipping back into his socks and shoes, Yugi made the remaining trek home clutching the puzzle tightly to his chest, one strap of the soggy backpack slung over his shoulder. He ignored the discomfort caused by his wet clothes that clung to his tiny frame.

He couldn't help but feel relieved when he was finally at the door of the Kame Game Shop. The place had a way of easing any worries you may harbor, making you feel safer just through the door. There was certainly no place like home.

Sugoroku looked up when the door to shi shop swung open. He gazed steadily at the wet boy before him, holding a golden box and smiling in greeting, but made no comment. Instead, he smiled in return and held out a small stack of cards with elaborate pictures painted onto them.

"Yugi! I want to show you this American game. I've been playing it for a while, and I think it's about time I pass the torch."

Yugi walked quickly to the counter, taking the cards from his grandfather.

"These are really neat, Grandpa! What's the game called?"

"It's a monster-magic battle game called 'Duel Monsters'. I thought you might want to try it out, since it seems to be growing more in popularity. I can teach you how to play, and we can go through some of my old cards and build you a strong deck."

Yugi picked the top card and held it up to eye level. A purple-haired man in dark robes wielding a large staff stared back at him.

'_Duel Monsters…Dark Magician, eh? What a cool looking card._' he thought in fascination.

Yami froze. Did the boy just think what he thinks he thought? No…he thought card. It's not the _real_ Dark Magician.

But…maybe somehow…

Sugoroku winked. "Maybe one day you'll be good enough to beat me. I am a Master Gamer after all."

Yugi grinned. "Is that a challenge?"

"You bet your diary it is!"

"Ehh?! You've been reading my diary?!"

"Well, you left it open on your desk when I went to collect your laundry. It's not my fault."

Recovering from his shock, Yami crossed his arms and concentrated on the thoughts of his young reincarnation.

He had the feeling that this game was going to become very important.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX  
_All along the way I feel a part of me I have to fight  
Buried somewhere deep beneath my skin  
The emptiness in me is fading  
I can see my life is waiting  
Now I know I'm living for who I am_  
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

A/N: I know, a filler chapter. But I thought a glimpse at Junior High Yugi would be fun and sort of help build the relationship between him and Puzzle!Yami.

Had one helluva time picking these out…  
Opening Lyrics: "I'm just a Kid" by Simple Plan  
Closing Lyrics: "Who I Am" by Smile Empty Soul

Next chapter, we move up to high school. It'll probably end there, with an epilogue teetering on the edge of my brain (it depends on how well I can tie up the chapter).

::bad infomercial music plays::

Akina: Now, I'd like to direct your attention to the lower left hand corner of your screen!  
Yami: There's a blue button there. See it?  
Yugi: It's blue!  
Akina: If you click that button…you can leave reviews!  
Yugi/Yami: NO WAY!!  
Akina: WAY!! In just THREE easy steps, you can leave Akina wonderful reviews!  
Yugi: I'm going to go leave a review RIGHT NOW!  
Yami: I will as well!  
Bakura: Me too! "Dear Akina, I couldn't help but notice the lack of me in this story. If you wish your precious puppies to be alive when you wake up tomorrow, I suggest that you—"  
Akina: Bakura, relax. You're in the next fic.  
Bakura: …oh. Carry on then.  
Akina: Anyway guys…reviews are great! Follow in the footsteps of Yugi and Yami and submit a review of your own today!


	5. Protect and Serve, Our Duty, My Desire

A/N: Sorry this has taken so long. I had to read Harry Potter 7.

Thanks reviewers for being awesome! All of you! Hooo boy do I feel loved. For that, extra long chapter for all!

I had a hard time deciding how to start this chapter…I mean, I know how it needs to end. It was getting there that's the problem. But here you go, the 5th and final chapter!

Disclaimer: I really think that one at the beginning of a story is more than enough to prove that a fangirl like me cannot possibly own a story like Yu-Gi-Oh.

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_Hope dangles on a string  
Like slow spinning redemption  
Winding in and winding out  
The shine of which has caught my eye_  
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Yami was curious. Extremely curious. There was this other presence in the room of the boy. Not that it was uncommon; Yami frequently felt the auras of the other residences flit in and out of close range, maybe doing chores or getting something the boy needed.

This one, however, was different. It was one he didn't feel so often, which made him feel a little standoffish toward the fact that it lingered longer than necessary. It was that of the boy's frequently absent father.

It didn't have pointedly malicious intentions, but they were none the less bad. He was searching the room, trying to track down the one thing he could use against his son.

Yami stiffened. The aura had changed, apparently finding what it sought. It drew nearer. He sensed the magical presence of the child's Duel Monsters deck sitting not too far away if he needed any assistance. He could summon the shadow monsters and then…

It was touching the box, lifting it into the air—

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Dad, what are you doing?"

When Yuugi had gotten home and found his door open, of course he assumed his grandpa had gone in and taken his dirty socks or something and simply forgotten to shut the door behind him.

So when he walked into his room and found his father standing over his desk, the Millennium Puzzle in his hands, Yuugi was taken a bit off guard.

The man looked at his son solemly. "Trying to find motivation."

"What do you mean?"

"Motivation for you, Yuugi. You grades are slipping far below acceptable levels."

"I've only been in high school for a few months, though!"

"Precisely. I believe it would be much more effective to motivate you to study harder by taking away those things that distract you, like your silly games."

Yuugi's heart skipped a beat. He was taking the puzzle?

"I've let it slide all these years, but high school is serious. You need to focus on your future. You will go to college and become a successful business man, like I have done. This is your future. One day you will appreciate what I am doing."

Yuugi opened his mouth, but all the words stuck in his throat. He coughed them up into sputtering nonsense. This great, intimidating man would just take all his words and ignore and twist them until the original intent behind them was lost, anyway. It was useless to fight back.

But, the puzzle…

"D-Dad!" Yuugi pleaded as his father walked past him into the hallway. "Wait, please, y-you can take everything else, but please leave the puzzle! It's really important to me!"

"No distractions, Yuugi. Maybe it can be used as a reward for when you complete your school work."

"B-But…"

By now, Sugoroku had come in from the store and Kyoko from the kitchen to investigate what the commotion was. When Sugoroku noticed the box the man was holding, he narrowed his eyes.

"What is going on here, Hiroto? You would take away the gift I gave to your son for his birthday?"

Hiroto scoffed. "I knew you were behind his slacking, Sugoroku, you and your ridiculous games and historical nonsense. This is for the best, and I demand some cooperation."

"Please, Hiroto," said Kyoko softly, sensing a fight coming on between the two men, "let's just talk this through before acting rashly—"

"Kyoko, I was kind enough to let you and Yuugi keep your family name to keep the Mutou Family Tree in existence, but I will decide how I want to raise my son!"

"Do not shout at my daughter!" yelled Sugoroku. "And it's a little late in the game to be deciding you want a part of the raising of your son! You are hardly around enough to claim such a right!"

"Stay out of this, you troublesome old fool!"

"Please, will you two please calm down!"

No one noticed the puzzle as it was discarded on the floor. No one noticed the small boy who scooped it up. No one noticed as he padded back up the stairs, silently shutting the door behind him. No one went to comfort him as his sat on his bed, cradling the Egyptian box and crying away his fears of fighting and confrontation.

No one but the box itself.

"I-I need…to complete it," he murmured between choked sobs. "If I…can get it done…I can be stronger…and make Dad…proud of me."

Yami shook his head, the boy's sadness creeping up in him. "I can't understand why you cannot stand up for yourself. It pains me to see you suffer in this way. But, solving this puzzle will benefit us both, and so I will assist you…"

And as Yuugi lifted a piece of the puzzle and the base off which he was working, Yami called to that part of his broken soul.

Yuugi hardly noticed as he was able to easily fit the piece into its slot.

"Maybe I'll be strong…"

And again.

"With friends to trust and people who love me back…"

And again…

Yami was humming from the additions of energy he felt. Three more pieces of his broken soul. Three steps closer to completing the puzzle.

He more felt than saw the warm light that filled his puzzle room as Yuugi clutched the object close to his chest, enveloping it with his gentle aura. The light: a beacon of hope for them both.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Yuugi had taken up the habit of tucking the puzzle into his backpack and bringing it to school where he could keep half an eye on it. It was a lot easier than worrying if someone at his house was going to take it or not. Plus, he would work on it in his free time, when no one else was around.

Yami, however, found that he didn't like the school very much. Actually, he was very close to hating it. There were so many auras—good, bad, and in between—that seemed to whisper and reverberate through his soul room at high volumes. It was enough to make his head spin. He relished the free time almost about as much as Yuugi did.

Yami also resolved to only help with the puzzle when Yuugi really seemed to need it. He had to do it mostly on his own, after all, or it would hardly count. The only times Yami did step in and assist where after Yuugi had suffered particularly harsh beatings from bullies, always after innocent chatter or misplaced trust. But Yuugi never told anyone, although the spirit suspected everyone already knew, leaving him feeling a bit responsible for having to sit by unable to stop it. But still. every person who approached his light, good or bad, he greeted with a warm smile. That boy had more kindness than he knew what to do with…

'_Today is going to be an eventful day,_' Yuugi thought distractedly one sunny afternoon in his second year of high school.'_I can tell. It must be a full moon or something._'

Yami half listened, half focused on Yuugi's determination and patience with which he used to try and figure out some strange game in front of him. Yami marveled at how the boy could use only half his energy to work on such a project and still do this well.

"Hey, Yuugi! Quit playing games by yourself and come play basketball for once."

Startled out of his thoughts, Yuugi frowned as a popping head signaled he lost.

"That's okay," Yuugi said with a sheepish smile as he cleaned up his game. "My team would just lose."

Yami sighed inwardly. He could sense the boy's lack of faith in himself, most always in the stifling environment hey called school. Weren't they supposed to be nurturing the minds of the young? It seemed like all it did was perpetuate misery all around.

'_I wish I could play my kind of games with someone. I always bring a lot in my bag, but…_'

Yami glanced up in his soul room, holding his usual one-way conversation with the being who didn't realize his thoughts were always shared. "I can't say you don't make the effort, Yuugi. And you do know that Anzu would play with you if you asked, or does she really make you that nervous?"

The question was rhetorical. Anzu made the boy remarkably nervous. He had matured a bit over the years, and hormones often got the better of him. Yami found this an interesting phenomenon. As a spirit, he had no hormones to speak of. He didn't acknowledge the feeling in his gut that told him years of feeding criminals to shadow creatures had made him quite heartless.

'_I know, I'll finish THAT today!_'

Yami returned to quietly observing the emotions of his counterpart. He wanted to see how well the boy did today, without aid.

But before he could get too comfortable, two common and incredibly mischevious auras approached where puzzle and child sat, the latter apparently unaware and the former regretfully unable to act.

Suddenly, the puzzle was being roughly handled by a pair of foreign hands.

'_Oh no! Honda took the puzzle! Please, I need it back!_'

"Hey, give me back!" Yami shouted irritably into the unknown.

Yuugi must have been very focused on what one of the two other people were saying, because Yami heard the voice of the infamous Katsuya Jonouchi echo through his soul room as clearly as the boy's own thoughts did.

'Geeze! Only a girl would carry around a box. Watching you makes me sick! It really pisses me off! So y'know, Yuugi, I'm going to teach how to be a MAN!'

Yami had to admit, this bully at least didn't physically abuse Yuugi like some did. He would make it out more or less unhurt. There was the one time though that Yuugi, in his attempt to get a game back, tripped over a chair and smacked his head into a desk. Yami couldn't really recall what happened next, because the boy's thoughts were very confusing and jumbled, mixed with a good douse of pain.

'What's in here, anyway?'

"Wait a second! Don't you even think about—"

But Yami never got to finish his empty threat. There was a stretching feeling…he felt disconnected…odd, like…he hadn't felt this out of it in a long time…

Everything went dim.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It took Yami a very long time to figure out what had happened.

That Jonouchi person had apparently thought it funny to take a piece of the puzzle hostage.

So where was the piece now? As he was separated from the rest of his already broken spirit, he didn't have enough energy to attempt to alert the boy. He could feel the rest of the puzzle pulsing energy, aware that something was wrong, but it too didn't know how to make it's owner aware of the issue.

So now the question was, was he trapped in the Shadow Realm again?

'…_Ushio…_'

Yami glanced around. The link. Was it possible the link could still work?

It was bad, slightly broken from the separation, but Yami could make out certain parts.

'…_not my bodyguard…show me what?...Jonouchi! Honda!..._'

Was that distress? Yuugi was apparently distressed. But over Jonouchi and Honda? Why? And did he just call this Ushio person his bodyguard?

Never mind that a person with physical form could obviously take much better care of the boy. Yami was still offended.

'…_Ushio…Teach them a…I didn't hire him! Please believe...They only wanted to help…be a man…not bullies…I don't fight…can't do that…MY FRIENDS!_'

So, this Ushio had apparently beat up Jonouchi and Honda for being the bullies they were, but they thought Yuugi had hired the bodyguard to beat them up, which obviously made Yuugi upset because he did no such thing, and now the bully wants him to help beat up the boys, which Yuugi obviously won't do because he hates violence and he would never wish harm upon his friends.

Yami thoughtfully considered his little puzzle-keeper. He had deemed these two his friends. Silly as it may seem, Yami understood: after all, as previously stated, they had never set out to actually hurt him. Just help give him strength…in their own twisted way.

'…_charges?...200,000¥?! I don't have…no, don't hurt them anymore…me instead…_'

And then Yami felt the pain his little one suffered. Pain, accompanied by a grim satisfaction.

'…_made a wish…for friends I can count on…friends who can count on me…_'

He was protecting his friends.

Yami knew guiltily that Yuugi believed the puzzle would grant him a wish upon completion, which was perhaps his job as the spirit dwelling inside it. But from the way the boy was acting, Yami had no doubt that he was capable of making friends for himself, no shadow magic needed.

'…_a knife?...damn…couldn't touch him in a million…nothing I can do…giving him the money all I can…?_'

Yami felt it again. That presence of Katsuya's. Remorseful, was it? Well, good. Serves it right. And apparently it felt so, too. In the midst of his anxiety, he felt oddly comforted as the old aura with new intentions swallowed him.

Yami knew he was headed home.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

There! The Protector's aura! Ah, it felt good to back in familiar territory.

Thank you, Jonouchi, for the change in heart. The boy really does rub off on you, doesn't he?

The entire way back, Yami had been calling out to the puzzle, and the puzzle had returned the call. It was time. The boy had found courage. He was ready to take the next step, whatever that may be.

So as they called to each other, the other pieces of Yami's soul tried to unite. If the boy had the same soul as Yami, he would pick up on it and be able to complete the puzzle. But this would also mean that he would discover the missing piece, and then…

'_IT'S GONE!!_'

Ah yes, there it is.

'_I'll never get my wish!_'

Yes, you will, Little Light. Patience, I'll be there soon to help…

The felt the power radiating from the nearly complete puzzle. Everything was magnified. The grandfather must have brought him back to Yuugi. He felt the sadness turn to joy, the relief and gratitude towards his new friend growing.

So close! His soul was calling out to him. They would be united soon! What would happen then?

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It's written in the Book of the Dead that the one who solves that puzzle inherits the Shadow Games. He becomes the Guardian of Right and passes judgement on evil.

Sugoroku left his grandson in the hands of destiny without looking back, armed with 200,000¥ and a puzzle.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"I'm finally going to complete the Millennium Puzzle!"

Yugi put the last piece into its hole. It slipped in like butter, but held in its place as if glued there. And then it glowed wonderfully, bright like the rising of the sun.

His head hurt. It began dull and aching, and Yuugi reached up to rub his temple as the room began to lose focus.

Then something strong and reassuring reached out to him, as if from inside his own heart, and he was falling…

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

3,000 years. In 3,000 years he never once felt this complete, this powerful, this…alive. He felt like he could do anything.

He opened the door of his puzzle room. Was there a door there before? He didn't think so. There was a hallway, and another door. It was cracked open, and he could see the toys and clutter inside, a bright light spilling out from it rivaling the dimness of his own room.

Was that the boy's soul room? He could explore later.

He closed his eyes, summoned his energy, and felt the hall dissolve away. When he opened them again, he stood in the bedroom and looked down as the boy who was his light, his other, sat slumped in his chair, rubbing his head.

He closed his eyes again. He reentered the puzzle, but this time sought a new path. Finding the boy's soul, he reached out and tugged.

"Don't worry, no harm will come to you."

And just like that, he reached felt the small spirit release, and he was in control of the body.

He opened his eyes. Wiggled his fingers. The completed puzzle was in his hand. He slipped the attached cord over his head, letting the upside-down pyramid thump against his chest. He felt the thump. The thump felt good.

He ran his hands through his spiky hair. Stretched his unfamiliar muscles. Walked around in circles just for the heck of it. Read the titles of the books on the boy's shelves—had Japanese always been his native tongue? He couldn't recall knowing anything else.

He tested out his new real vocal chords.

"…Hello!"

He had a strong voice for it being so new. Talking to nothing in the puzzle really did him a lot of good.

"Hello, I am Yami."

He thought for a moment. Then, bringing himself to full height, he began a ramble.

"I am Yami, and I look damn good for being 3,000 years old. I want to eat cake and ice cream, like Yuugi does. I am…the terror that flaps in the night! My hobbies include, sitting around, making friends with shadows, and talking to myself. My best friends are a self-destructing fuzz ball and a freakishly tall purple man, both of whom are probably figments of my imagination from being stuck in a box for so long, but who have the suspicious ability to kill people. So, they are most likely very real. Oh, and I often live in the Shadow Realm where big groups of nothing try to make me as completely miserable as possible."

Yami paused. Yuugi must have rubbed off on him a lot through the last 8 years. He would never have talked like that before…

He took the time now to notice what he was wearing. This shirt was thick and had a hood. And these pants on his legs were made of a loose, rough material. He felt grungy. It was very unbecoming. He went to one of the doors in the room and opened it, revealing a closet full of other shirts and pants.

"Are these clothes? What is…ah, not that…that looks a little ugly…what in the…oh!" One ensemble caught his eye; tucked way back were black leather pants and a sleeveless black leather shirt with large silver buckles. A matching collar was draped over the hanger.

Yami could vaguely recall with amusement when Yuugi had gotten it. It was a gag gift from Jonouchi for his 13th birthday, leaving Yuugi both thrilled and slightly horrified at the suggestiveness its tight leather carried. Was that his memory, or the boy's?

Anyway, it seemed appropriate. He slipped out of his current ensemble and into the new selection, doing each buckle slowly, feeling the cold metal in his fingers. The last one was attached to something that resembled a collar that ought to have a chain dangling from it. He slipped the puzzle back over his neck, feeling oddly bare without it.

"…Woah."

For the first time since his existence, Yami saw his reflection. Slanted eyes of amethyst stared back curiously. He was surprised to find how alike he and the boy actually looked. Sure, some of his gold bangs reached up into his black and red-rimmed spikes, rather than the boy's that just fell around his face. They were essentially the same, otherwise.

It shouldn't be a surprise. They were, after all, two parts of one.

Yami briefly wondered if he was also 15 when he started living in the puzzle.

Yami ran his hands through his hair again.

"You mean it really is natural? All this time I thought it was the result of living in the Shadow Realm. Huh."

He completed the ensemble by adorning a blue jacket hanging on the door. Also tucked in the back of the closet was a pair of slim black leather boots, which he slipped into.

Sitting on the desk was a box labeled "To Yuugi, From Grandpa. Greetings from Egypt!" Inside was a pair of ankh cufflinks.

They looked nice. He put them on as well. As an after thought, he changed out of the leather pants and into the blue ones that had been near the jacket.

The outfit was complete. Yami checked himself one last time in the mirror, bringing himself to his full height and lifting his head. He carried himself like a king, a being powerful and unstoppable, and it felt good.

Now, for the task at hand. It was time to pay this Ushio person a visit.

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Yami stalked back into the bedroom, feeling exhilarated. He could crush evil minds. He had, of course, known this, as he did it a lot while trapped in the puzzle before the old man found him. But to do it with a body just felt so damn good. What other powers did this puzzle hold? He would get to opportunity to explore it as soon as he relinquished control of the body.

Briefly, he noticed that the mirror in the room reflected back eyes of crimson. Had they always been that color? It must have been because he was using his Shadow Magic…

He flopped onto the bed, apparently more tired than he felt. He had done a lot in only a few hours, and he suspected that his power would take some would take some getting used to. In the back of his mind, he knew that the boy whose body they now evidently shared had blacked out at the sudden action of swapping with another soul. He hadn't returned to his soul room because of the abruptness. Instead, his spirit floated in the crossroads of body and mind, completely unaware as to what had happened to him.

Maybe it's just as well. Yuugi may have a hard time understanding that a 3,000 year old spirit that was living in his puzzle has now taken up residence in his body and has the ability to essentially kill people with magical powers. If he hadn't been living it already, Yami too would think it a bit farfetched.

The spirit huffed. As much as he hated to leave this new living breathing body, it wouldn't be fair to put it through too much abuse. He was only borrowing it, really.

So, closing his eyes and focusing, he retrieved the wandering soul of the boy and guided it back to its body before returning to his own soul room.

Back within the room, he was able to recuperate without sleeping. That came in handy, because he hadn't intended on sleeping anyway. Yami instead focused his energy on traveling to the puzzle to explore what other secrets had been eluding him for so many years.

Yami wasn't sure what he had been expecting, but it definitely wasn't this.

A huge labyrinth surrounded him on all sides. Doors led to stairs which led to more stairs and doors. An eerie light filled the room, but did nothing to expel the darkness that lurked in every corner. Yami picked up on the heavy presence of shadow magic immediately; most of it, he was relieved to find, was his own.

"Well, no use just standing around."

He deliberated for a moment which way to begin. Before him was a large door. To his left was a flight of winding stairs. Behind and to his right was an expanse of floor before dipping into black. Finally, he chose the door.

The next two hours were the most unproductive hours imaginable. Each door lead to no where, more stairs, or some sadistic trap that Yami could not believe his magic had set against him. And each stairway lead to similar doors.

Occasionally, there was a door that would lead to an empty room. No traps, no stairs, no…nothing. Yami made it a point to mark each of those rooms with a specific touch of magic so that he could travel there at will, knowing it was harmless. He did something similar to the doors that led to traps. Trying to teleport himself to any other part of the puzzle would be totally useless, he decided, and he couldn't teleport to places he was unfamiliar.

Going into the fourth hour of walking and getting no where, Yami was ready to give up and retreat to the comforts of his soul room when he caught something. A very familiar something. A trace of magic that only came from a small pack of cards currently sitting in the corner of a boy's desk.

"Could it be?"

Yami broke into a jog. Following this trail, the stairs became fewer and doors more ominous. He approached each passage with senses on high alert, marking the good and bad as he went for future reference.

The magic was so strong it was almost unbearable. Yami felt it through the door, pulsing with life. It had to be this room.

The hallway was so like the narrow room that the puzzle was kept in for much of its life that Yami experienced a moment of panic before reason set in.

'_Calm down. This isn't the same room. First of all, the monsters are on the wall and not the floor. Secondly, there isn't a giant pit of Shadowy Doom._'

If he was going to keep talking like this, Yuugi was not allowed to watch any more cartoons.

He walked in with the room with caution. No telling what might jump out at him.

There was a large ornate door at the end of the hallway. It was so full of energy that Yami's heart ached to open it. He approached it with growing anticipation. Something told him this would answer a lot of questions, even ones he didn't know he had to ask.

He reached for the handle…

'_Come on…_'

He twisted.

Nothing.

"Huh…?"

Yami threw his weight into the door, hand still twisting the knob. Nothing budged. He sighed heavily with defeat.

"…Still…"

He turned. Eyes in stone slabs watched him carefully. He walked up to one and lifted his hand.

"Please come out."

The figure stirred, brought to life as Yami pushed his magic into it, calling. Then it emerged, a foot stepping out and a head coming through as if appearing from behind a curtain.

Dark Magician stood, watching his master carefully.

Yami stared back, happy that this wasn't another disappointment.

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"Sealed, then?" Yami inclined his head towards the door.

The magician nodded. "It will unlock when the time is right."

"What is behind it that is so important?"

"I cannot say."

"I figured as much."

"I am sorry."

"No, no, there is no need…" Yami tried for a change of subject. Then he squared his shoulders a bit, feeling it was appropriate. "So why are all of you," he indicated to the rows of stone slabs, "here in the puzzle?"

"As protection. With your mind now connected to your host's, it is more important to be on guard against unwanted presences. His spirit is a weaker one that has never been exposed to magic of such high volume before, and he cannot defend himself well against it. Most of the power was granted to your spirit in the spilt, and that which he contains he does not know how to use yet."

"I sense that that is not all."

"Well, that is where you come in."

Yami blinked. "Me?"

The magician nodded. "As the boy has been unknowingly forced into servitude as a vessel, it is your duty in turn to keep him from harm. Additionally, as you both share his body and are part of each other now, you cannot exist without him."

Yami took this in. "So, this is my duty. He serves me, and in turn I protect him."

"Yes. His death would mean your death. Your death, while it may not kill him, would most likely crush his spirit severely."

"Well, I intended to keep him safe, regardless of this information."

"Yes, but bullies and life-threatening evils are two very different scenarios."

"They might as well be equivalent," Yami said shortly. "If he didn't have so much determination and care for others in him, his spirit would already be broken by now. I will make sure that never happens." Yami briefly recalled the deep wells of sadness he had felt all those years ago, back when the little light had first acquired the puzzle and more often wore his emotions on his sleeve. The spirit was set on making that well run dry.

"You have a good heart, Master."

At this, the spirit scoffed. "Now I wouldn't go as far as to say that, but I do feel obligated to help this boy in whatever way I can. No matter what the cost."

The Dark Magician nodded. "And we will protect you. No matter what the cost."

Yami smiled. "What did I do to deserve such loyalty?"

'_More than you know, my pharaoh,_' the monster thought, but outwardly he merely returned the smile.

"Good luck, Master."

And with that, the Dark Magician melted back into his stone slab, his sketch watching contentedly from the rock face.

Yami stood another moment in the puzzle, wondering if he'd ever know the truth.

"I trust you, Dark Magician, and maybe one day I'll be able to pay you back." Closing his eyes, he left the puzzle and returned to his soul room in the heart of his new and unknowing partner.

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Yuugi cracked his eye open and winced as he was greeted with sunlight.

'_What happened? I put together the puzzle, and then my head hurt, and then…_'

Yuugi looked down at his chest. There lay the puzzle, he noted with glee, as well as some other things he didn't remember putting on last night.

When did he put on his uniform? And when did he start wearing this ridiculous leather outfit? And why did he like it all the sudden?

Yuugi pushed his fingers into his throbbing temple and sighed. "Whatever, I'm going to school. I'll figure this out later. But first I should cover this shirt…it's not quite school appropriate…" He gasped then, grabbing a white shirt out of his strangely open closet. "The puzzle! It's done! My wish will come true!"

Yami just smiled, noticing that as the boy arrived at school, Jonouchi returned the gift of friendship, and Honda soon followed suit. The boy's spirit was the brightest it had ever been, and Yami couldn't help but bask in the warmth it gave him and hope to the gods that it could always continue.

"Stay strong, Little Light, and I'll always be here to protect you."

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_When you walk through a storm hold your head up high_

_And don't be afraid of the dark_

_At the end of the storm is a golden sky_

_And the sweet silver song of a lark_

_Walk on through the wind, walk on through the rain_

_Though your dreams be tossed and blow._

_Walk on, walk on, with hope in your heart_

_And you'll never walk alone_

_You'll never walk alone_  
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A/N: Finished! FINALLY! I'm sorry for the long chapter, but I felt bad for making you wait. I hope it was worth it.

Side note. Read volume 1 of the manga. Notice how Yuugi doesn't wear leather collars or anything until AFTER he completes the puzzle? Symbolism RULES::grin::

Opening Lyrics: "Vindicated" by Dashboard Confessional

Closing Lyrics: "You'll Never Walk Alone" from the Rodgers & Hammerstein musical Carousel

And now…keep your ears open for more from me! I'll be putting up my new story, a MUCH lighter and more fun one, in the next day or so! Be on the look-out, I guarantee a really good time!

Yuugi: Akina is going to put me to work!

Yami: Wait, you're WHAT?  
Akina: YUUGI! You'll give it all away!

Yami: You're going to make us WORK? WHERE?

Akina: I can't tell…you have to wait and see!

Yuugi::whimper::

Akina: Until then, drop a review?

Yuugi: Please?

Yami: For us?

Bakura: I want screen time!

Akina: NEXT STORY, BAKURA.

Bakura::grumble::

Yuugi: Reviewers get a cyber hug::grin::

Yami: Although, just a short one, right Aibou::glares at Akina::

Akina::sigh:: Well anything is better than nothing for a fangirl, so yes, a small one would probably do.


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